The wines of Montalcino have come a long way over the past ten to fifteen
years. Several changes have helped elevate the quality of the wines,
including clonal selection of the "Brunello" grape (said to be
Sangiovese Grosso) and relaxation in the wood aging minimums required by law.

The wines of Montalcino used to be required to spend four years in wood to have
the Brunello di Montalcino name. But it takes a really exceptional vintage
to produce wines which can withstand that mandate. Over the last decade
the law has been changed and now only two years in wood are required, along with
one year in bottle.

This is far more sensible.

The 1997 growing season saw a loss of crop with early spring frosts. The
summer was warm but not excessively so. The grapes matured to high levels
of sugar and, owing to Montalcino's relatively high elevation (feet above sea
level, not prices of the wines!), the grapes still retained ample acidity in
many cases.

We assembled a set of eight wines from a variety of producers and conducted our
monthly wine-tasting survey, hosted by Allan Anderson.

8th Place: FATTORIA dei BARBI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVAThis bottle was exhibiting dank, cellar smell aromas suggesting it was an
"off" bottle, having been tainted by a bad cork.
Naturally, this was the most costly wine of the tasting!
Interestingly, one person ranked it as their second favorite wine and only 7 or
the 12 tasters placed it last.

7th Place: POGGIO ANTICO 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOThis wine displayed hints of eucalyptus notes and bright cherry fruit.
It's a good example of Brunello di Montalcino which can be enjoyed now or over
the next 3-5 years as the tannins are rather mild. One-and-a-half stars
(on my three star scale, no stars being ordinary, three being classic and
exceptional).

6th Place: CASANOVA di NERI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOThe aromas recall violets and ripe cherries and are rather charming, but
wait until you taste this! Casanova di Neri's Brunello is hugely
well-structured and displays plenty of acidity and copious quantities of
tannins. This is a monster and will require much patience before it
arrives at a point of maturity. You're going to need a decade, at
least! One-and-a-half stars.

5th Place: IL PARADISO DI MANFREDI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOI enjoyed the mildly smoky notes on the nose of this cherryish Tuscan
red. The same elements shine on the palate, with bright sour cherry
fruit. The tannins suggest cellaring this for 3-8+ years. Good
wine. One-and-a-half stars.

4th Place: TENUTE SILVIO NARDI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOThis wine displayed nice woodsy notes on the nose along with a hint of cocoa
and some herbal tones. The balance is good on the palate with a bit of
cherry fruit and mild tannins and, compared to many others, softer
acidity. One star.

3rd Place: FULIGNI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOThe combination of fruit and wood on this wine is delightful. Cherry
notes on the nose combine with a cedary quality. The tannins are balanced
to the point where this is probably at its best over the next 3 to 5
years. One-and-a-half stars.

2nd Place: VILLA POGGIO SALVI 1997 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINOI was enchanted by the fragrance of this wine. Lovely cherry fruit and
a combination of cedar and cocoa from its maturation in wood. There's also
a hint of tobacco on the palate. The tannins ought to allow this to mature
nicely over the next five to ten+ years. Two-and-a-half stars.

1st Place: FOSSACOLLE 1997 BRUNELLO di MONTALCINOThere are some notes of eucalyptus on the nose of this wine, which starts
out quietly, but really blossomed over the course of the tasting. It
struck me as a softer style of wine with good fruit but lower acidity than many
of the others. Best over the next two to five years. One-and-a-half
stars.

MISTER BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO,
JACK SWEITZER.
Delta of two!

Please note: The wines tasted are not always wines
we have (or have had) in the shop.
Many bottles are merely for our enological exploration.
Price quoted are current at the time of the tasting, but may be different
when you're reading this.

WE HAVE NOT ORGANIZED A TASTING IN A WHILE...
BUT WE DO POST THE RESULTS OF A PRIVATE TASTING GROUP THAT'S BEEN MEETING FOR
MORE THAN 40 YEARS!

We are working on
organizing some blind-tastings at the shop.
Send us a note to indicate your interest in participating.
These would be on Wednesday evenings and you'd need to bring 8 wine glasses.